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Pay It Forward
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The inner city grew out of the cracked sidewalk like the jagged gap-toothed grin of an old junkie. The only splash of color in the grime came from the lurid graffiti and the sidewalks were littered with injection paraphernalia. From every covered doorway came the dejected stares of men and women in their pathetic cardboard sleeping bags. From upper windows came the boom of sub-culture music. The hookers stalked the streets in their skimpy outfits and high boots looking for work, their drug-addled bodies as thin as pins, their cheekbones jutting out through pallid skin.
By day the shoppers swarmed the boutiques with slogans stenciled to the glass fronts in fashionable off-white. They strutted from up-market cars to flash their credit cards in exchange for designer goods costing many times more the price anywhere else. The homeless still wandered the street, often in noisy exchanges with themselves or another down-and-out. In the coolness of the wintry daylight they were regarded as of no more importance than the cracked sidewalk or the chipped lamp-posts. Indeed the shoppers wished they were not there at all and clutched their handbags all the tighter. By night the up-town bitches stopped showing up with their SUV's and the streets belonged to the pimps and the drug dealers. Even the cops stayed away unless there was a complaint from a tax-payer and even then they came slowly - often too late. So it was under the sallow lamp-light that most money changed hands; money from stolen goods turning into smuggled narcotics.
So imagine his surprise when here comes this preppy, innocent looking girl walking down the street. Incredibly, she didn't seem the least bit nervous. Instead she looked lost and out of place in her designer coat. A dangerous, dangerous combination here.
"Inuyasha come inside," his mother called nervously as she stuck her head out of the second story window and furrowed her brow, "You know I hate you being out there when the sun goes down."
"I'll just be a minute," he grunted as he took another long drag of his cigarette before flicking it some distance away and waving absently at his mother. Tuffs of short jet black hair stuck out at irregular angles from beneath a threadbare beanie. A funny little thing. Not at all fitting for a man. In truth, it was his mothers that they shared. Complete with dilapidated cat ears on top.
He took a moment to absently push up the sleeves of his equally threadbare red sweat jacket as he watched the girl for a moment more with a concerned look. One quick glance at his mother told him she saw the same danger he did. Meeting his eyes for just a moment, she nodded once in approval before her worried eyes darted back towards the girl - gasping loudly when the young thing began approaching a dealer on the corner. Luckily, however, Inuyasha beat her there.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he hissed angrily as he gripped her arm to stop her before she made a terrible mistake, "Are you stupid?"
"I'm just gong to ask for directions," she clipped back anxiously as she paled at the sight of his heavily tatooed arm and mildly homeless appearance, "Let me go."
"I have a direction for ya. You need to get off the street," Inuyasha corrected - albeit in softer tone, he didn't want to scare her after all, "We'll call you a cab or something but you need to come with me. It's not safe."
"I'm not going with you," the girl responded incredulously, "How stupid do you think I am?"
"Pretty stupid if you want to stay out here," he huffed in exasperation - his breath leaving in a puff of white steam - before casting a nervous glance at the known dealer who was now mumbling something into the phone with a wicked smile, "Now come on."
Luckily, his mother had realized the girl's hesitation and had quickly come down to assist. As she quickly crossed the street, she gently placed a hand on her son's grip and gave the girl a reassuring smile. Her son looked mildly alarmed at her sudden appearance which only increased the young girl's anxiety.
"It's really not safe here sweetheart. Please come inside and we'll call you a cab," his mother pleaded quietly before all of them jumped at the sound of distant gunshots, "Quickly, please. I don't like being out here."
"You shouldn't be out here," InuYasha chided softly - whether to the young girl or his mother it wasn't clear. Wondering if she was making a horrible decision, Kagome nodded once and cautiously followed them to their...slum for lack of a better word. The building had definitely seen better days and the boarded up windows were enough to let her know that it probably wasn't up to code.
"This is where you live?" Kagome asked hesitantly as his mother unlocked their door and ushered them inside. Grimacing at the hurt look on the woman's face, she added quickly as she grimaced and tried to backpedal, "I'm just...uh...surprised you lived so close."
"She has cancer and we can't afford anything nicer," Inuyasha bit back hotly to the implied question as he shut the door behind him and took the key from his mother, "I work before you ask but medical bills are a bitch. Sorry that we live in such a shithole and you just wanna judge a book by its..."/
"Inuyasha stop it," his mother chided as she rolled her eyes and gave the frightened girl a reassuring smile, "Don't mind him. He's just..."
"Bitter and angry as hell?" Inuyasha supplied with a dark chuckle as he moved to help his mother up the stairs - ignoring her slight protest. Addressing his mother only, he sighed and sent her a chiding side eyed glare, "You really needed to have stayed inside. I had it handled."
"Oh yes, grabbing the girl's arm was a sure way to make her trust you," the mother teased as the girl cocked her head to the side curiously and followed them a few steps behind, "I hope cabs are running this late."
"If not we'll get an Uber. Those fuckers don't give a shit where you live," Inuyasha muttered as he stood back and let his mother open their apartment before furrowing his brow and sending the girl a slightly anxious glance, "You do have money for a cab, right? Or the app?"
"Phone's dead and I have maybe..." the girl replied sheepishly as she dug through her purse, "Maybe fifteen dollars? The subway is out of order so I tried walking home but..."
"You got lost," he finished with a dejected sigh as he shared an anxious glance with his mother and whispered so softly he hoped she didn't hear, "I could just walk her home."
"We can spare a twenty," his mother replied with a soft shake of the head, "It'll be..."
"No, no, I'll be fine if he wants to escort me," the girl interrupted - realizing that a twenty to them likely meant going without and not wanting to impose for her own stupidity, "That's..."
"Not fine with me," the mother stopped her as she stepped inside the small studio apartment filled with medicine bottles and various other items that verified the truth concerning her condition. Or supported the lingering belief that they were junkies. The sheer number of needles in a haphazardly constructed disposal jar alone was staggering. Definitely herion addicts or something! By god! Blushing slightly, the older woman cleared her throat and explained, "We weren't expecting company. I'm sorry for the mess."
"It's fine but I don't want to take your money," the girl insisted nervously as she tried to leave - adding for good measure with ever higher pitch, "I really should be going anyway and I don't want to bother you. I'll be fine. Just fine."
"Take the twenty," the mother sighed in a tone that left no room for argument as she began to dig through her purse and presented the bill, "Just pay it forward in kind, okay? Help someone."
Nodding awkwardly, the girl watched as Inuyasha begrudingly called for a cab and walked her outside thirty minutes later.
"Never did get your name," he replied with a resigned sigh as the cab turned the corner, "I figure you know mine by now the way my mother says it every five minutes."
"Kagome," the girl replied softly as she fiddled with a stray lock of hair. Whether the mother was sick or a drug addict, they did lend her money because they wanted her to be safe, "and I'll pay you guys back. Promise."
"Don't worry about it," he replied dismissively before opening the car door and ushering her inside, "Like she always says, just pay it forward one day but never do something this stupid again. You might not be so lucky next time."
A week later Kagome arrived back with a hundred dollar bill in hand only to find - to her dismay - a condemnation sign on the building and a construction crew waiting to tear it down. With no way to find them and no way to pay them back, she teared up and made her way back to the cab waiting for her.
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Six Years Later
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It had been years since she last saw that boy but she'd bet her life on it that it was him in that room. She was in her first year of residency now, having finished medical school only a few months prior. It was an oncology unit she worked on and it surprised her to see the young man sitting anxiously in one of the rooms. A morbid prayer crossed her mind - that perhaps it was the mother still fighting and not him. He had aged in the past six years. Looking very worn, dangerously thin and defeated. His ebony hair was now a stark white and his hazel eyes held a haunted look to them. Still wearing that same beanie and jacket that had definitely seen better days.
"Who's the patient?" she asked the doctor she was shadowing in a half-whisper, "Is it a woman?"
"Yes, and that's her son in the room. They're moving her to hospice tomorrow. Good riddance I say. Sons an ass. You'd think he went to medical school how he bosses everyone around. Like he knows more about her condition than we do," the elderly silver haired doctor sighed heavily before handing his protege the chart, "Take a look if you want."
And she did. All this time she'd thought maybe - just maybe - all those medical supplies were really just drug paraphernalia. But no. Breast, ovarian and pancreatic cancer. For the past ten years. A feat to be sure. It was nothing short of a miracle she lasted that long. And widowed. Her husband died. That was sad. She was barely fifty. Still relatively young. And the bill. Oh god, the bill alone floored her - almost half a million dollars after past due fees and interest. Their copays were astronomical. And most things weren't covered. It looked like...he signed a consent judgement for how much?! Consented to garnishing his wages. Garnished wages and to keep making payments?! Why would he sign that?! How the hell...That hardly seemed right or fair. The woman was sick. The hospital couldn't have...
Taking a deep shuddering breath, she held back tears as she raised her eyes to look into the room. The boy, no the man, was now staring at her curiously - as though trying to place where he'd seen her. Shaking his head, he stood and walked out of sight - presumably to comfort his mother.
"What will happen to the bill after she dies?" Kagome asked timidly as she glanced at the doctor who merely shrugged indifferently and began talking about a different patient. He might not care but she sure as hell did. Those words from so long ago played in her mind on loop. Just pay it forward. Just pay it forward. Help someone.
She was very fortunate in that she inherited her family home. Free and clear with no mortgage or lien. It also helped that she had excellent credit and a sizable savings account from years of frugality. The loan itself only came out to $2,337 dollars per month - the first two years or so she could pay straight out of her savings and just replenish in the meantime for the future. Within a week, she discovered the woman had died and with the loan securely in place within the month, she went down to the hospital records to pay all that debt off in full. Anonymously, of course, or so she thought.
It took a few weeks but one day, Kagome arrived at work and there he was in the lobby where patients paid their bills. Waiting patiently with a tired look on his face - a tinge of fear behind his eyes. In his hand was a checkbook - probably to make a partial payment and he clearly expected the worst. His knee bounced anxiously as he sighed and lifted his wrist to look at the time before he looked up and saw her staring at him. For a moment, he furrowed his brow before his eyes drifted down to her name tag and his eyes widened in realization. She smiled and waved sheepishly.
"Inuyasha, right?" Kagome asked quietly before she crossed the distance between them and sat down beside him, "I'm Kagome. You probably don't remember me. You helped me once when I got lost. I heard about your mother and I'm...I'm very sorry for your loss."
"Thought it was you the other day and well, she's not in pain anymore so...so I'm grateful for that. Thanks though," he muttered hoarsely as a faint blush crossed his cheeks when she glanced at the paper in his lap. It was the bill she had seen but he hastily stuffed it into his jacket pocket and cleared his throat, "Anyway, you work here now?"
"Yeah, I'm a doctor," she hummed as she tried to hide her relief that he didn't know or hadn't put the pieces together, "Just started so I'm not very good."
"I'm sure you're doing fine," he commented as he gave her a shadow of a smile and swallowed thickly as though waiting for an axe to fall, "I'm, uh...I work for the school district. We...I mean...I live in an apartment near uptown now."
"So you're a teacher?" Kagome asked innocently before noting the humiliated shake of the head and the slightly embarrassed response, "No, um, we never could afford college with...with how mother was. I do...um, janitorial work but...but I'm the lead supervisor now. Got promoted about five years ago. Made enough to...to make her last days more comfortable."
He added the latter almost as an afterthought - like he was embarrassed of his profession and circumstance in life. Not that Kagome cared. It said a lot about him that after all this time he was taking care of his mother and trying to make ends meet. When she went to pay, she noticed that small payments had been made. Well, not that small but not enough to put a dent in that bill. A thousand here, two thousand there. On a monthly basis. Something's twice a month around what she assumed was his Christmas bonus. Nowhere near enough to put a dent in the interest that was almost double though. He deserved some peace and in that moment, she was satisfied she'd done the right thing.
"I'm here to make a payment," he spoke up softly before clearing his throat and adding almost absently, "Speaking of which, I heard you tried to give us the money back. You know, back then, but we got kicked out a few days after I met you. Building got condemned but...but thank you for trying. Meant a lot."
"I have a twenty now if you want it," she offered with a sad little smile to which he gave her a patient look and rolled his eyes.
"I don't need it. I'm not working at McDonalds anymore. I can spare a twenty," he chided playfully as another ghost of a smile graced his lips, "I'm glad to see you actually. You..."
"Number Forty Three you can come up to station five," a woman's voice suddenly came over the speaker making him jump and glance at his number. Mumbling an apology, he began fiddling with the paper in his pocket and walking up with a determined look on his face. Kagome merely sat and waited. She watched as he began to argue with the woman before his face went blank with shock and surprise. He kept shaking his head and she heard intermittent protests that there had to be a "mistake". That he "hadn't". And then he stopped when the lady turned the screen to show him and Kagome blanched when he turned moments later. He gave her a watery look as though he could hardly believe she was real before that look turned to determination.
"I will pay you back," he muttered as he moved to sit down across from her her, "That was too much. You didn't have to do that. It...all we gave you was just a twenty. Even with interest, it wouldn't be..."
"I wanted to do it," Kagome interrupted with a happy shrug, "And don't worry about it. Consider it paying it forward."
He wouldn't take no for an answer. Over the next few months, he made sure to arrive at the hospital to pay her what he'd been paying under that judgment from hell. He got her number too. And eventually, they were texting every day about this and that until he finally got the nerve to ask her out for coffee. Which turned into dinner. Which turned into two. Always somewhere moderately priced- not that Kagome cared. Three, turned into four, which quickly turned into Netflix and Chill. Which turned into moving in together. Which turned into engagement. Which led to marriage. They lived modestly and paid each installment happily - InuYasha was always relieved whenever he saw the bill three times smaller than what he'd been paying.
It was a struggle - admittedly - at times but it got easier as she gained more experience and as a result better pay. Eventually, she coaxed him into applying for college - something he was nervous about but grateful she thought he could do. Four years later, he became a government teacher.
It always amazed him that Kagome had helped him like that. Hell, at the time he was virtually a stranger. She'd brush it off whenever he'd voice that opinion out loud as though anyone would've done it but he knew better and it made him love her all the more. Eventually, they became parents to a little girl. A beautiful little girl. And they named her after his mother. And all was well.